


Memoriam

by Lavenderbirchtrees



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Genre: Galaxy soldier army - Freeform, Gen, Old Friends, Other, Post-Canon, Post-War, Retelling, Slice of Life, Trauma, but only briefly thoug, metaknightmare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29657811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavenderbirchtrees/pseuds/Lavenderbirchtrees
Summary: Now that Dreamland is free from King Dedede's rule Tiff is Bored and wants to learn more about the recent past. And who a better person to ask than Meta Knight.
Kudos: 13





	Memoriam

**Author's Note:**

> This is a response to a trope in Meta Knight Fics that I find distasteful
> 
> Huge thanks to @Maplehere for going through this with me

ENeMeE’s conquest for the universe was officially over and done with. Kirby, especially, took a breather to do some much-needed normal kid stuff along with the other younglings in Cappy Town. The Cappies also took their time to recover from the King’s antics now that they had more downtime. Every week or so, rumors sprung up that there would soon be someone or something to replace him; much to the citizen’s relief. Either way, it had offered everyone enough breathing room for some sort of leisure now that the world wasn’t in constant peril. Everything felt as it should.

The Household seemed much more peaceful Tiff thought to herself as she sat on the living room couch. Her parents were out somewhere, and her brother, like Kirby, had been going on his little misadventures with the other children in town.  
She was alone now. Now what. She had to kill time somehow. Brainstorming, she rolled over, her eyes drawing towards the bookshelf. There were some cookbooks, books regarding municipal law, old literature, children’s books, and various encyclopedias that had collected dust from months of neglect. Encyclopedias! Perfect! She figured it would be best to brush up on her history. From her laying position on the living room couch, Tiff hopped off and quickly scanned the encyclopedias for something that would pique her interest as it had in the past. She considered herself to be well-read on Drakian folklore, the dynasties of dreamland, the Lunet system, excerpts of Halicandrian poetry. Practically leafing through them, she quickly found herself bored again. Sure, revisiting those topics was a good way to pass time and refresh on several things, however, it lacked that element of mystery that drew her to it in the first place. What don’t I know? She thought to herself, after some pondering the realization had struck her, the one thing that had escaped her. The history of the recent past. And what better candidate than Dedede’s very own knight? 

Tiff had caught Meta Knight on one of his afternoon patrols around the castle, though she thought it was strange since there was no need for him to patrol for the recently-dethroned Dedede. A creature of habit I guess. For being cryptic, Meta Knight was predictable to a fault. She brushed her thought aside chasing his trail. Frantically waving her hand for his attention, she succeeded in stopping him. He looked up from his position and checked his corners before heading in her direction.  
“Is there anything to report?” Meta Knight said a bit too abruptly; there was an edge to his voice that Tiff couldn't place.  
“Oh don't worry it's not a report! I would just like to ask a few questions about-”  
“Kirby? The current state of dreamland? He blurted.  
These answers seemed forced. She thought silently to herself. Tiff cleared her throat, prepping how she would choose her next words. She wanted answers but didn't want to come across as insensitive.  
“I was actually going ask about your service in the Galactic Soldier Army, your roles and such. It would be important to Dreamlandian Historians to-”  
“I avoid the topic unless it is at a dire moment. If you had come here asking for what it was like, I’m afraid I won’t have the answers you’ll want to hear,” Meta knight responded curtly and quickly turned away. Tiff began to feel desperate, she didn’t want to leave empty-handed. Straightening her posture, she furrowed her brow and pressed on.  
“But I- we need something for the records―something like this can’t be kept a secret forever! We have the right to know more!” Tiff said firmly. She trailed the knight and stepped to face him, Meta took a step back and shook his head disapprovingly in turn.  
“We both know that the war is now history, but I’ll hear you out! Not just as an interviewer but as a friend! If you want to talk about it, I'm always here to listen! I’ll even-“  
“No.” Cutting her off, Meta Knight responded with a darkness in his voice unlike Tiff had ever heard before, “I will make myself clear now. Recalling all that I have witnessed- What I had experienced is irresponsible beyond reason. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t put such matters into someone’s hands. Friend or not. Especially to someone who is a tween at best. You are just a child, not a historian.”  
He held his gaze with her before quickly turning away. There was a defensiveness in his stance and a coldness she could feel from his stare. Tiff took a back step as if she felt the boundary she had crossed. She had opened her mouth to respond, but after a moment of reprieve, she let it go. There was an uneasy feeling sitting with her, he did make a point that putting his experiences in excruciating detail could take a toll on her. A burden she wasn’t even sure she should bear. Though it also would have been satisfying to get anything from it at all, even a vague detail would have been nice. Defeated, she pulled out her pen and pad and mindlessly counted the lines as she returned home none the wiser. The weight of a hand falling on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. Turning she saw Meta Knight, his eyes flickering with avoidance. 

“Perhaps my response was too harsh. For anyone’s liking. Tiff. I apologize for snapping at you.”  
“It’s fine really, I just wanted information, that’s all, but I could always wait or find something else to study,” Tiff replied rubbing the back of her neck and turning to continue her path.  
The knight inhaled deeply. “I understand how important getting answers is to you, so I’ll humor you on a few things.”  
She shuffled closer to Meta Knight, avoiding his gaze. Though, she realized that Meta knight wasn’t looking at her. Rather he was looking past her. Mustering the courage to finally look at him, Tiff saw Meta Knight’s eyes deep in thought. After a silence that had been far drawn out for anyone’s liking, he spoke up.  
“There will never be anyone like us, the survivors of the war, ally or enemy. Though we had issues of our own, the war was the greatest equalizer- knowing that some of us would never live to see a future without eNeMeE.”  
Tiff nodded in understanding. The tiredness in his voice told her all she needed to know.  
“Lamenting will do no good, I think it’s a disservice to my fallen comrades.”  
“However,”  
His voice now had a hint of playfulness at the end of his word that Tiff found strange.  
“There are a few things I left out when recalling Knuckle Joe’s Dad and Sirica’s Mother. Both of them were quite well-read. So much so that Jexar was a Prime.”  
“Wait Jexar-that’s KJ’s Dad”  
Tiff was almost taken aback by his change in mood, but not quite as taken aback when he recalled Knuckle Joe’s Dad by name. Calmed by his sudden friendliness she earnestly picked up her pen ready to record.  
The conversation bounced from Meta knight’s own personal connections to the misadventures in between missions. Taking notes, Tiff asked for clarification in which Meta knight obliged.  
“There’s your history for you!”

Feeling drained from Tiff’s interrogation, Meta Knight has retreated to his quarters to rest. When he had opened the door he anticipated to see Sword and Blade up to their normal nonsense. Instead, he had found them absent. Taking advantage of his solitude, he inhaled deeply and removed his mask. He began tracing over his scars with his thumb, a ritual he found therapeutic over the years; reminding him that he was still here.  
Talking to Tiff had reignited the loneliness, he would never admit to. He really had no one. The remaining GSA members had been stationed elsewhere and the nearest person was Yamikage, but who really knew where he was anyway. No one. Then it dawned on him. No one but Kit.  
Kit felt like a distant memory. In wartime or his brief time working for Nightmare, Meta knight hardly talked to him despite sharing a similar past. Come what may, it was never too late to catch up with him. Knowing it would be a long walk he grabbed for his cane and made his way out of the castle. He’d been long overdue to get reacquainted.


End file.
